While most are busy saying "at least it's not his arm," I'm going to play the killjoy here. Carpenter's oblique strain may have happened while he was swinging, but it's still what I call a "kinetic chain" injury. The kinetic chain is that series of movements that moves force through the body, from push-off to release, allowing a ball to go toward the plate at upwards of 90 mph. Any chain has a weak link, and any weak link can throw off both the force and the way that force is distributed through the body. Why do Tommy John pitchers often end up with shoulder problems shortly after returning? With the elbow fixed, the shoulder is often now the weak link, and is taking more of the stress. The oblique, a difficult muscle to build up but key to the motion, is often a weak link as well. Because of both this and Carpenter's history, I think he'll end up toward the back of the 4-8 week range, probably at around six weeks missed.
Baseball Prospectus
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